Comparative evaluation of biochemical and imaging modalities in diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in dogs#

Diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic diseases in dogs is challenging. The anatomical location of pancreas, wide variations in clinical presentation, non specific clinico-pathologic parameters and lack of a single accurate diagnostic test together contributes to the difficulty in diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. In the present research, the effectiveness of haematology, estimation of serum biochemical parameters, species specific SNAP cPL and imaging techniques in the diagnosis of pancreatitis was compared. Serum lipase and serum amylase were significantly elevated in the cases screened for acute pancreatitis. SNAP cPL test was found positive in 27.58 per cent of the suspected cases of pancreatitis. No significant changes could be observed in the pancreas on abdominal radiography and ultrasonography. Estimation of serum lipase and amylase and SNAP cPL test aid in more accurate diagnosis of acute pancreatitis when compared with other diagnostic modalities. Keywords: Acute pancreatitis, serum amylase, serum lipase, SNAP cPL test